Rail line in Aberdeenshire closed until 22 February

The rail line between Stonehaven and Montrose will be closed until 22 February after a bridge wall collapsed, Network Rail has said.

The 24m (79ft) section of side wall broke on 15 January, about a mile north of where three people died in last year's derailment.

The line had reopened in November, nearly three months after the tragedy.

Network Rail said full structural assessments had been completed by specialist engineers.

Plans are now in place to repair the bridge and reopen the line late next month.

• Collapsed wall rail line closed until 7 February

• Part of rail bridge collapses near fatal Stonehaven derailment site

• Derailed train line reopens after three months

The bridge was built in the 1840s.

Network Rail said engineers would be working round-the-clock to fix the damage and provide "additional strengthening" of the bridge deck beneath the southbound line.

Challenging project

Kris Kinnear, Network Rail's capital delivery director for Scotland's Railway, said: "We're working hard to quickly deliver these repairs and reopen the line, but these are significant engineering works and will take time to complete.

"The rural location of the bridge and the fact our engineers will be working at considerable height in an exposed location also mean this project is a challenging one for our team."

Replacement bus services are in operation.

The driver, a conductor and a passenger died when the Aberdeen to Glasgow service derailed near Stonehaven on 12 August last year after heavy rain.

An interim report said the train hit washed-out rocks and gravel.